Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Mishal Saeed, Lori Michele Leavitt, President of Abrige Corp, shares her journey from corporate "intrapreneur" to founder of a leadership transformation firm. With her Aligned Momentum System, Lori helps organizations create vibrant workplaces through a unique blend of consulting, peer groups, and leadership software—all designed to cascade leadership through organizations while reducing manager burnout. She reveals how her 20+ years of experience turning cost centers into profit centers shaped her mission to help leaders inspire their teams authentically, and why her global peer groups for executives are "the best decision support system" for business growth.

Lori dives into her pivot from solo consulting to scalable solutions, including her upcoming AI-enhanced leadership software launch and the challenges of balancing authenticity with growth. She shares hard-won lessons on why "inspiration must come before execution" for entrepreneurs, how to avoid toxic partnerships, and her vision for a "leadership operating system" that transforms organizations. For founders struggling to scale while staying true to their values, Lori’s insights on building credibility through consistency—not ads—are gold.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we dive into the entrepreneurial journey of Pranav Jajapur, the young founder of ContentaAI. Pranav shares how he launched his AI-powered content automation platform while still in high school, helping startups and marketing teams streamline their content creation with AI-driven clipping, SEO optimization, and real-time collaboration. He discusses the challenges of balancing school and business, his unique approach to client acquisition through strategic partnerships, and his ambitious vision to scale ContentaAI into a billion-dollar empire.

Pranav also opens up about the hurdles he faces in software development funding and his creative solution—scouting deals for a venture fund to self-finance his startup. From securing a potential $1.5M political marketing deal to refining his ideal customer profile, Pranav’s story is a testament to persistence, adaptability, and the power of leveraging relationships in entrepreneurship.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Mishal Saeed, Christopher Smith, founding principal of Change Smith, shares his journey from federal consulting to building a human-centric organizational health firm. Inspired by a poignant moment early in his career—watching a colleague struggle with technological change—Chris reveals how his 18 years at blue-chip firms shaped his mission to prioritize people over profit. He dives into Change Smith’s unique approach, blending change management, culture, and leadership development to foster cohesion and clarity in organizations—from Fortune 500 companies to federal agencies.

Chris opens up about the challenges of pivoting from federal to commercial markets, the power of AI in organizational health (without losing human connection), and his vision for scaling through strategic partnerships. He also shares hard-won lessons for founders, including why "getting reps" matters more than perfection and how to balance innovation with enduring values. For leaders navigating uncertainty, Chris’s insights on creating "conditions for sustainable high performance" are a masterclass in resilient leadership.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we meet Nooh Ali Hassan and Hashaam Zahid, the 20-something Pakistani founders behind Table Turnerr, a digital marketing agency specializing in Hawaii restaurants. The duo shares their unconventional journey—from dropping out of university (and in Nooh's case, getting married) to pivoting from a failed recruitment agency to discovering their niche through cold Instagram outreach. They reveal their "grand slam offer": 15 days free service with a $2,000 customer lifetime value guarantee, currently charging $500/month with plans to scale to $2,000.

Nooh and Hashaam break down their scrappy lead gen system—manually messaging 1,500+ restaurant followers monthly (with a 9% reply rate)—and why they're betting on in-person collaboration as they prepare to open their first office. For young founders, they offer hard-won advice: "Learn to say no to short-term deals" and embrace hands-on learning (they taught themselves Instagram outreach instead of running ads). Tune in for a masterclass in niching down, bootstrap marketing, and the realities of scaling a service business from scratch.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, Shaara Roman, CEO of The Silverine Group, shares her journey from corporate HR leadership to building a culture and leadership firm that transforms workplaces. She discusses her proprietary SPARK framework for organizational change, the challenges of scaling a high-touch consulting business, and the importance of aligning culture with business strategy—especially during inflection points like mergers, AI adoption, and rapid growth.

Shaara also dives into her vision for productizing her methodologies, leveraging AI as a "team member," and expanding into new markets. She offers candid advice for entrepreneurs, emphasizing the need to fall in love with the problem you’re solving—not just your idea—and the importance of building systems early to scale beyond yourself.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Dr. Joi Brown, founder and CEO of 3eee Consulting—a career strategy and leadership development firm that educates, equips, and empowers professionals to break through career plateaus and step into their purpose. With 25 years of HR leadership in both federal government and private sectors, Dr. Joi shares how she bridges corporate expertise with entrepreneurial coaching, helping clients navigate career pivots, rebuild confidence, and align their work with their innate gifts. She reveals her unique "3E" framework (Educate, Equip, Empower) and why she prioritizes deep, one-on-one coaching—even while balancing a full-time HR director role—to create transformational breakthroughs.

Dr. Joi opens up about the challenges of scaling a coaching business while maintaining a corporate career, and her vision to expand into organizational facilitation and workshops. She discusses her unconventional lead generation strategies (including leveraging her alma mater’s network and post-pandemic entrepreneurial pivot into a shea butter business) and why "working your business daily" is non-negotiable. For professionals feeling stuck or unfulfilled, Dr. Joi offers actionable advice on self-discovery, leveraging transferable skills, and why sometimes a 15-minute discovery call can change the trajectory of a career.

In this episode of Founders, Future, with host Mishal Saeed, Jillian Ferry and Anh Lee, co-founders of DME Onboarding, share their mission to bridge the gap between education and the workforce by equipping young professionals with the "unwritten rules" of corporate success. Drawing from their combined 35+ years in HR and corporate learning, they reveal how their dual offerings—the "Durable Me" self-awareness deck and "Durable Success" course—empower students with essential soft skills like resilience, leadership, and workplace navigation that schools don’t teach. The founders discuss the urgent need for their solutions in a job market where Gen Z struggles with toxic workplaces, unclear expectations, and multi-generational dynamics.

Jillian and Anh unpack their grassroots growth strategy, from LinkedIn outreach to beta-testing with students, while candidly sharing the challenges of bootstrapping a purpose-driven startup. They envision scaling through corporate partnerships, reimagining onboarding for businesses, and ultimately creating systemic change in how organizations develop talent. The conversation highlights their unique founder dynamic—balancing Anh’s research-backed frameworks with Jillian’s operational grit—and their commitment to ensuring no young professional enters the workforce unprepared again.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we're joined by Christin Webb, founder and CEO of Greater You Leadership, a boutique leadership development firm with a mission to "build leaders from the inside out." Christin shares her inspiring journey from corporate procurement to entrepreneurship, revealing how a small 6-person pilot program grew into a global training organization that's impacted over 45,000 professionals. She explains her unique "inside out" approach to leadership development, which blends mindset work with experiential workshops, and why she focuses on helping executives become the strongest foundation for their organizations.

Christin offers candid insights about the challenges of scaling - from overcoming perfectionism to managing capacity constraints. She shares her innovative strategies for growth, including her facilitator-led sales model and plans for passive online courses. Along the way, she drops golden nuggets of wisdom for new entrepreneurs, including her mantra: "Don't wait for perfect." Christin's vision for Greater You Leadership  is both ambitious and heartfelt - she aims to expand globally while staying true to her core mission of helping leaders bridge the gap between their confidence and their impact.

In this episode of Founders  Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Andrew Mitchell, founder of Oplos Consulting, who helps service-based businesses implement AI strategies that drive real results. Andrew shares his transition from corporate consulting to entrepreneurship, revealing how he's tackling the "AI noise" by focusing on practical, tailored solutions for mid-size firms—from marketing agencies to legal services—that want to automate workflows and future-proof their operations. He opens up about the challenges of standing out in a crowded market, the importance of warm referrals in B2B sales, and why many businesses still treat AI as a "nice-to-have" rather than an urgent priority.

Andrew also dives into his vision for Oplos Consulting, balancing revenue goals with lifestyle design, and how tools like Zapier help him automate his solo consultancy. Listeners will walk away with insights on navigating the AI hype cycle, differentiating a consulting business in a trending space, and why Andrew believes we're at a tipping point where companies that delay AI adoption will soon face steep competitive disadvantages.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, Tracey Halvorsen, founder and CEO of Adeo, shares her journey from a painter to a digital innovator and agency leader. She discusses the evolution of her first agency, Fastspot, over two decades, her intentional exit, and how she built Adeo as a purpose-driven creative consultancy focused on transformational partnerships rather than transactional projects. Tracey emphasizes the importance of aligning values with clients, fostering long-term relationships, and empowering organizations through authentic storytelling and digital experiences.

Tracey also dives into her philosophy of sustainable growth, prioritizing meaningful work over rapid scaling, and the challenges of finding clients who embrace trust and collaboration. She highlights how Adeo helps mission-driven organizations navigate disruption while staying true to their core identity. With insights on client acquisition through relationships and thought leadership, Tracey offers a refreshing perspective on building a business that balances profitability with personal fulfillment.